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#888 - Xigmatek Cooler Roundup |
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Written by Zach Jeffers
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Sunday, 04 November 2007 |
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Page 2 of 5
HDT-S1283 and HDT-S963:
While we take a look into the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 and HDT-S963 CPU coolers, we will be doing a joint overview. This is because they essentially are the exact same cooler except for size. Later in the review, on Page 5: Comparisons and Installation, you will be able to see some comparison shots of the two coolers to see just how mirrored the two are. First we will see their packaging and their contents (you should have a pretty good idea how similar they are from this) and then continue with the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 as our subject.
The HDT-S1283 comes in a classy Black on Blue box with a simple window showcasing the cooler. Opened up, a neatly packaged fan and heatsink appear.
 
 
The Xigmatek HDT-S963 came to us in a plain white box with a showcase window. The lack of graphics on the exterior of this box suggests that this product was sent previous to their marketing department finalizing the packaging and that this unit is a pre-production sample. Later on in the review, you will find that this has no effect on the performance of the cooler.
 
Each cooler comes with the included fan, the heatsink, and AMD mounting arm, two Intel push-pin mounting brackets, a three to four-pin Molex adapter, four rubber mounting pins, two mounting screws (for Intel brackets), an air spoiler and a small tube of thermal paste.
  
The included fan (120mm for the HDT-S1283, 92mm for the HDT-S963), is a basic PWM 25mm thick fan featuring seven moderately angled fins and a twisted power lead.
 
The Xigmatek HDT series of coolers stand tall and proud and are not intended for the less spacious build. These coolers require a bit of head room and can possibly create clearance problems with heat ducts and side panel fans on some cases. Our test case’s (Antec P190) side fan has clearance issues with both the 120mm and 92mm variants of the HDT series coolers.
 
This cooler features multiple aluminum fins spaced evenly over three copper heat pipes. The feature that makes this cooler special is the HDT (Heatpipe Direct Touch) design. Basically they have designed the heatpipes to make direct contact to the CPU die resulting in a faster transfer of heat from the source to the fins.
 
This is a great concept and something I have always wondered about but this does pose a problem for those with decapitated (those that remove their Integrated Heat Spreaders) processors. This uneven surface could possibly create potential damage to the die and ruining the processing unit. Others will argue that the uneven surface will actually trap heat between the CPU and the cooler. One thing I noticed, and you can see in the pictures, is that some of the thermal grease from the mounting of the mount-block to the heatpipes was squeezed out and not cleaned from the surface. This is a simple cleaning before application, but an extra step nonetheless.
The mounting block is made of machined aluminum. There are three channels cut out for the copper heatpipes to pass through without having to stray further away from CPU block. At the top of the block, there are two small channels that are the grooves that the AMD mounting arm centers in during installation. As the three large copper heatpipes travel through mounting block they then curve upwards into the mass of aluminum fins.
 
At the side of the cooler, you can see the multitudes of folds that keep the fins separated. This is a common technique among these tower type coolers.
 
At the top of the HDT coolers allow for the tips of the heatpipes to poke through along with showcasing some slots that are used to mount the included air spoiler.
  
On the sides of the Xigmatek cooler’s fins, there are some rounded channels that follow the entire stack of fins. These are the first step in the mounting process of the Xigmatek fan. Part two is pulling the rubber pins through the fan’s mounting holes. Lastly, slip the slot end of the rubber pins over the aluminum fins and push them into the rounded channel.
 
 
 
As mentioned in the Tech Specs, included is an airflow spoiler. This allows you to direct air over your motherboard components on the exhaust side of the cooler. This simply slides in at what ever height you prefer within the fins of the cooler.
 
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